MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
The school physics Olympiad “Your Path to Real Science”, organized by Novosibirsk State University together with the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was included in the list of the Russian Council of School Olympiads. The corresponding order was published on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science last week. The expert commission on physics highly appreciated the level, novelty, originality, complexity and creative nature of this Olympiad. Inclusion in the list significantly increases the status of the Olympiad, which will allow the winners and prize-winners of these competitions to receive additional privileges when entering leading universities in Russia, including NSU. The university plans to expand its geography, increase the number of in-person venues in other regions and the number of participants.
— There is the All-Russian School Olympiad, which stands apart, outside of any levels or categories. It allows you to apply without entrance examinations. However, there are about 25-30 winners and prize-winners of this Physics Olympiad in the entire country. At the same time, there are many more gifted schoolchildren, talented applicants who know physics or want to study it, they need to be identified and invited to further study physics at the university. Our Olympiad allows us to solve this problem, — says Evgeny Zhdanov, senior lecturer at the Department of General Physics Physics Department of NSU, member of the jury of the Olympiad “Your Path to Real Science”.
The significant benefits for schoolchildren that the Olympiad provides may vary from university to university. At the NSU Physics Department, any prize place in this Olympiad will be equivalent to 100 points in the Unified State Exam in Physics, while for an applicant it will be enough to confirm their qualification at the level of 75 points.
The Olympiad “Your Path to Real Science” has been held since 2019, but is a continuation of the long-standing traditions of entrance examinations at NSU. In addition to the standard genre of original text problems in physics, which are present in almost every Olympiad, the Olympiad “Your Path to Real Science” contains such unique genre problems as an assessment problem and a demonstration problem.
An assessment task is a task in which no numerical values are specified, and the student must independently select a physical model describing the phenomenon specified in the task, select the necessary numerical values and obtain a numerical result that must correspond to reality. A demonstration task is a task in which students are shown a vivid physical phenomenon described in simple “everyman” language, and the student must explain the observed phenomenon by translating it into “physical” language. This requires participants to be able to apply theoretical knowledge to describe real phenomena and processes. Such a skill in such a “concentrated” form is very rarely tested by Olympiads, even those that include an experimental round. Creating demonstration tasks requires extensive experience and high qualifications of the authors. Such a demonstration was previously held at entrance exams to NSU at several (two or three) sites. For each site, it was necessary to prepare special equipment, as well as assistants capable of competently conducting such a demonstration. With the development of the Olympiad movement, the number of venues increased significantly, which significantly narrowed the range of phenomena that could be demonstrated in this way at such a large number of venues simultaneously. In order to preserve the unique genre of the demonstration task, a solution was found to record video demonstration, which can then be shown on any platform using a projector or even a laptop. This technology has made it possible, among other things, to show fast-moving events that require slow motion for better perception.
Thus, the Olympiad “Your Path to Real Science” differs from the classical ones primarily in the types of problems that are aimed at revealing physical intuition.
— A child may not always have sufficient knowledge of physics, but have a good idea of how natural phenomena work. Therefore, he or she can score high marks at the Olympiad and, based on the results, enter a university. This is how we identify and attract talented children, — emphasizes Evgeny.
Current scientists from SB RAS institutes participate in both compiling problems and checking the results of the Olympiad. The 2024 methodological commission includes teachers with many years of experience, including members of the Russian Academy of Sciences and doctors of physical and mathematical sciences.
The Olympiad is held in two stages – the qualifying and the final. The qualifying stage is also divided into two – in-person, which will take place on December 1; and remote, lasting a week, while the tasks do not repeat those that were in the in-person stage. The winners and prize-winners of the qualifying round go to the final stage, which will be in March. Important: the winners and prize-winners of the current year’s Olympiad, who are not in the graduating class, are invited to the final stage next year immediately, without going through the selection. You can find out how to participate in the Olympiad on its official website.
Inclusion in the list of RSOSh will allow NSU to expand the geography of the Olympiad and increase the number of participants. Thus, last year there were more than 450. Also, the NSU Physics Faculty plans to conclude agreements with new sites and hold the final stage not only in Novosibirsk, but also in other cities.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.